lucky escape

Submitted by interested observer (Turkey), Aug 14, 2008 at 04:10

I have read your email with interest. I am married to a Turk (who is a muslim) but is fully supportive of me working and having my own friends etc. ıe exactly what I had in my pre marriage life. I will never convert and in fact have become more of an aetheist than ever before and I am quite happy to admit it. There are quite a few of us out there.

I guarantee that if you move to a place like Qatar and you are fully dependent on your new husband you will be unhappy and your options will be closed for the rest of your life (particularly if you have children). Inheritance laws are inherently unfair to women (as it all goes to the family or the children and not the wife) as are divorce laws.

Be very careful and if you are going to do this make sure you have some of your own money saved so you can leave if you want to. Not respecting your wish to have your children your religion (or better still no religion at all) so they cannot be brainwashed by religion fullstop is not great. So think hard. My husband and I are aware of all these issues that I mentioned to you and we both disapprove vehemently of them as does his family (and I work).

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".